A Light In the Dark
by morglaw
Summary: April 1932 - Lucy and her brother are desperately trying to make a life separate from the darkness of their pasts. What happens when their plans get derailed and they find themselves stuck in Franklin County? T for now. Bad summary. Sorry.
1. Chapter 1: Mood Indigo

**Hi! Sorry to all of you waiting for an update on my Justified story. Just haven't felt any inspiration for that one in a while. But I swear as soon as I do I'll be all over it. In any case I had a sudden thought about Lawless and I could not get it out of my head. Hopefully there won't be any sign of writer's block, but no promises. Either way your support is appreciated :) On we go!**

* * *

 **Chapter One - Mood Indigo**

 _"...You ain't been blue,_

 _Till you've had that mood indigo._

 _That feelin' goes stealin' down to my shoes_

 _While I sit and sigh, 'Go 'long blues'..."_

 _-_ _Duke Ellington_

* * *

"This is a bad idea Issac..."

The weather hadn't let up since they'd left Baltimore and that had been over five hours ago. Lucy couldn't remember seeing rain so heavy in all her life. Sighing she tried to relieve the ache in her lower back by shifting, for what seemed like the millionth time, in the passenger side seat of her older brother's prized T-Ford. She had offered to drive a ways back, but Issac had insisted that it would only get more dangerous to drive the further they journeyed into this 'country'. Glancing into the back seat, Lucy wanted to scoff at the how picturesque it looked. Issac had brought along his violin, as he rarely traveled without it, and she had brought along her knitting, mostly out of habit as well. None of it was anything that anyone would really consider out of the ordinary for a family trip.

Looking out the window at the seemingly endless backwoods, dense with the foliage of evergreens, the common saying 'April showers bring May flowers' passed through Lucy's mind. Sniffing she tried discern more of her surroundings through the water splattered glass. Beyond a few sign posts that she could barely make out, most of the road looked the same as it had since they had entered Virginia.

The path to North Carolina wasn't by any means meant to be a simple one. Issac had warned her that he wouldn't be stopping for anything but gas and food. The Depression had brought out the worst in people everywhere but there were all sorts of stories about folks in these parts. The ban on alcohol had created a sense similar to the old west out here. Lucy's mind drifted to the loaded 38 in the glove box and how strange a feeling it was to not have watchmen patrolling the streets or a police station nearby.

Her stomach lurched as the car dipped into yet another hollow spot in the road. Though he had slowed down some once the dirt road gave way to slushy mud Issac's eagerness to reach Greensboro was unfettered. It nearly matched Lucy resistance to arrive at their destination.

In fact that was the very reason they had argued a couple of hours ago just as they had crossed over the state line. Since then they had been sitting in complete silence. This was largely why her brother only replied to Lucy's assertion after a long measured silence. "Why'd you say that?" He asked, his blue gaze never leaving the shadowy evening trail before them.

Biting her bottom lip, Lucy's brown eyes scanned through the windows once more, nervously watching the small distance in front of car illuminated by two dull headlights. "You've been driving a long time. Don't you think we oughta stop for the night at least?"

Watching his face now, Lucy could make out his sharp jaw setting and his undeniably handsome countenance growing severe.

'He has to agree...' It seemed that in the past hour the roads had only gotten darker and stranger. More than that she couldn't shake the feeling that they had veered off course somewhere.

"Not this again..." he shook his brown-haired head wearily.

Immediately Lucy's eyes narrowed. She slumped back into her seat. Not really in the mood to fight but unable to help herself, she asked, "What do you mean?"

Rolling his eyes as though she had turned back into a six year old child, he stated, "We're not going back. Not yet."

"I didn't say anything about going back."

"No. But I know you Luciana. I know you're waiting for a chance to convince me otherwise."

Slouching further back into her seat the blonde woman tugged at the stray hairs that had fallen out of her simple braid.

She'd been caught.

He knew her better then she liked to admit. But instead of relenting she decided to bite back. "Don't call me that. I hate it when you talk to me like your Daddy or Momma."

He flinched at that. "That's your name Lucy. And I will address you as I see fit, especially when your acting like a petulant child."

"I am not!" She resisted the urge to give him a flick on the nose.

"Then why can't you see that this is the only way. I have tried Lucy. After everything we've been through, you must know that I've tried."

"I do..." Her voice softened slightly, before her stubborn streak slipped out "...But it could work."

"Luciana." He gritted out in frustration, his grip on the steering wheel tightened.

"It could." Lucy mumbled.

"How many times do I have to say this? It won't. I can't do it and neither can you."

"I'm 22. I'm not a baby anymore. I don't need you t... ISSAC!"

* * *

She woke up to the sound of water dripping on to metal and an engine clicking over. Her eyes fluttered. Lucy could see a harsh yellow light that she was able to recognize as a naked bulb. It took a moment for her to remember what had happened. She could still feel the impact of her brother's long arm across her chest, from where he had clearly tried to brace her against her seat.

It's weight was making her cough. She attempted speaking, which only made her cough harder.

"I- Issac..." she hacked, unwinding the defensive grasp of her own arms from around herself. Lucy tried to focus as she blinked water from her brown eyes. She saw the driver side door and part of the hood of the car crumpled against a large tree. She saw her big brother's head smashed against the steering wheel, blood coming out of his nose and... 'oh god,' her eyes caught on the arm that was now resting in her lap, that he used to play chords, that he'd lain out to protect her. She could see the bone was sticking out.

Whimpering Lucy looked over at her brother. "Issac, please wake up." Her voice cracked as she spoke. She reached out to touch his shoulder gently, before shaking him with more force. "Issac, please!" Lucy cried, pulling on his brown curls like she had done so many times in their childhood to annoy him. He didn't respond, he simply lay limp against the wheel. Dead to the world.

'No. Not dead...' Lucy swallowed thickly. Raising her fingers just under his nose. She released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding when she felt a puff of warm air against her skin.

'He's alive Lucy. And he needs you to keep your head.' Her chocolate eyes darted downwards. She cleared out the buzzing in her head, wiggled her toes and forced herself to move. Tenderly she lifted his arm off of her legs and heaved the car door on her side open with a grunt.

The rain had stopped and even though some of the clouds had cleared and the half moon was shining, it somehow felt as though the night had gotten even darker by Lucy's reckoning.

'No one came by...' Lucy ignored the stab of panic at the realization of how isolated they were out here.

Turning back to her brother she wondered what the right course of action would be. Recalling his many lessons about car safety and fuel lines, she knew getting him away from the car was probably what he'd want her to do. Lucy grabbed onto the shoulders of his previously clean white shirt and pulled hard so that he flopped over to the passenger side seat.

He hadn't reacted once, but still as Lucy reached under his arms to get a stronger grip on him, she spoke as though he could hear her, "I'm sorry." With that she heaved him out of the car. His feet landed on the mud with a sickening splat. Inhaling deeply Lucy began dragging her brother away from the wreck.

* * *

She didn't know how long she had been pulling and tugging for in the slippery mud, all she knew was that her arms felt like lead and her lungs were straining to get air. Her brother wasn't exactly large. While he had some muscle and could hold his own in a fight he wasn't a big man. But at 5' 10'' he had 6 inches on her and that seemed to translate to her struggling to move his unconscious body more than a few meters.

'No one's come by...' it had been some time and under the light of the stars Lucy could see that her brother needed some kind of medical attention and without a car to get him any help he might not make it to see the morning.

Biting her lips, Lucy pushed past the aching in her lower spine. Rubbing the back of her mud covered hand over her forehead, Lucy paused to catch her breath and her bearings. Spotting some growth on the side of the road she sank to her knees and rolled Issac towards the underbrush. Hiding him as best as she could so that thieves or worse would not see him, Lucy leaned in to kiss his forehead. Wiping away the dirt and pushing his unruly curls away from his peaceful face she whispered into his ear. "I'll come back. I swear it. We'll make it through this too."

Running back to the car, Lucy retrieved a blanket that had fallen to the floor from the back seat and switched off the car's ignition. All at once everything was flooded in inky darkness, and it seemed only a few stars lit the way ahead of her. Instinctively Lucy thought of the gun in the glove box. Grabbing the cold object and clutching it to her side, the blonde haired woman slammed the car door closed.

Not wanting to check his breathing because she was fearful of what she would find, Lucy laid the blanket over her brother's pale form, lifeless form.

"I'll come back." She gave him a final kiss on the cheek. Her heart soon pounding as fast as her feet on the unsteady ground as she raced back to where she'd remembered seeing a sign in the road.

* * *

It must have taken 20 minutes for Lucy to find the post stuck at a crossing. She had been second guessing herself the entire time, but now she was glad she had kept going. Following the arrows on the sign and taking a right at the fork Lucy carried on running, though she felt as though her heart was about to give out.

'Almost there. Almost there.' She repeated to herself, though she honestly had no clue how far away the 'Blackwater Station' noted on the sign was.

She shook her head when she finally came upon the sight of a couple of gas pumps in front of log house on the side of a narrow road. She wanted to be sure she wasn't imagining it. It wasn't until she made past the parked jalopy next to the station and touched the actual oak beam supporting the oning of the porch that Lucy wanted to gasp in relief.

However, she didn't allow herself that time. Impatiently she knocked on the glass panes cut into the front door of the place.

"Hello! Is anyone there?" She knocked harder. "I need help." Lucy shouted, "HELLO!" Hearing nothing her eyes went to the decrepit looking truck parked at the side of the cabin. She ran over to it and tried fruitlessly looking for the keys in the usual places... on top of the tires, under the seat.

All of this had to have taken less than a minute, but now that she had reached somewhere, Lucy couldn't let anymore time go by.

She ran over to the station's door once again. Hoping against all hope that she would be able to find the truck's keys inside or at the very least that in even this place so far removed from city life, there might be a phone that she could use to find help.

There was a smash as the butt of her brother's gun broke through the pane of glass closest to the door knob. Lucy frantically worked to try to unlock the door. Succeeding, she took in a sharp breath, as a shard of glass scraped deeply into her forearm. With a hiss Lucy grabbed her bleeding arm, while keeping a firm grip on the gun.

Moving inside towards the counter of what look to be a rest stop, Lucy's dark eyes searched for any sign of keys or a phone. She winced as she felt blood seeping through her fingers. She seemed to be moving much more slowly than she had been before.

Her mouth felt dry. Shaking her head again, she tried to pay attention to the task at hand. 'Issac. Issac. Michael... No... Christian... No. No. No.' She could feel water on her cheeks as her vision started to blur. 'Issac. Issac. Issac.' The vision of his violin rotting away in the woods danced before her eyes now.

Her body grew heavy. A light shone from somewhere as she mumbled wistfully out to her brother, "I'm sorry" and just like that the light disappeared.

* * *

 **Hope you guys like it so far. Really excited about the story I've plotted out. Fingers crossed there's no writer's block and the excitement keeps me going.**

 **Please let me know what you think. You guys keep me going too :)**


	2. Chapter 2: Crossroads Blues

**Hi! Hope you're all enjoying the start of this story. Sorry it's taken so long to update. Though I try to be fast I guess I'm a fairly slow-going kind of writer.**

 **Apologies about the editing, I try my best.**

* * *

 **Chapter Two - Crossroad Blues**

 _"I went to the crossroad, fell down on my knees_

 _I went to the crossroad, fell down on my knees_

 _Asked the lord above_

 _'Have mercy, save poor Bob, if you please'..."_

 _\- Robert Johnson_

* * *

The first thing Lucy could feel were the muscles in her neck. They were straining to lift the suddenly impossibly huge weight of her head.

Eyes unwilling to open, she relied on her other senses.

She could feel a starchy softness covering her cold form. There was a cushion under her head and her body was resting on what felt like well worn lumpy mattress. The smell of dirt and musty air was floating around her.

Absently her arms wound around her middle but then as clear as a bolt one thought filled her head.

'Issac!'

Like shot she sat up, groaning loudly as she did. There was a pain on the back of her head and her arm was throbbing. Looking down she saw that a crude bandage had been wrapped around her left forearm.

Taking in her surroundings in the dim daylight that was filtering through a moth eaten curtain covering the only window in the wooden room, she tried to piece together what had happened and more importantly how to get help to Issac.

The old metal bed frame she was resting on squeaked as she moved to sit up on the mattress.

Though she was in a rush, Lucy made sure to note that all of her clothing was still in place. Whoever had moved her to the bed had the decency to leave her dress and stockings on when they had brought her to this place.

As she took rapid stock of everything on her body, she realized that the gun was missing. Scanning the room, she couldn't spot it. Other than a simple wooden table, a small mirror and the bed there was nothing in the sparsely furnished room.

The image of Issac's bleeding head rammed into her mind once again.

'Don't have time...' with another groan Lucy pushed herself off the bed. Though she still walked with purpose Lucy had hoped for more strength than she felt in her limbs. Regardless of what seemed like kind treatment and her determination to get to her older brother no matter what, the young blonde woman had no idea what waited for her outside the entrance of this small room.

Gripping the doorknob tightly she all but ripped the door open. Lucy jumped when she heard a crash and saw a fumbling body in the short corridor before her. In her fervor to not lose momentum she hadn't expected to run into anyone and was startled herself.

"Oh!" The nervous young man's muffled voice spoke as he fumbled around to pick up the tray he had dropped. He seemed scattered as he placed the broken pieces of a plate and the eggs that had been on them on the tray. Slowly he stood up and looked shiftily at her with dark brown eyes. "You're awake."

"I- Yes. Thank you for..." squeezing her eyes closed, she tried to concentrate on brown haired man standing in front of her. Lucy's heart was thudding against her ribs as her slipping focus went back to her brother, "... I'm sorry I can't..." a new thought lighted in her mind, "... did they find him?"

The man's brow furrowed. "Forrest said it was just you. 'Less you got a partner that run off last night..."

'It's only the next day...'

Putting together what he was saying, Lucy responded, "No. Not a partner... I-I have to go." She gave up trying to explain before she had even really started and brushed by the man towards the rickety looking stairs at the end of the hall.

"Ahh m'am. I don't think that'd be a good idea. You're lookin' mighty pale an'..."

Lucy had only been half listening as she made her way to the bottom of the steps. Her chocolate eyes quick scanned the rest stop. Empty of patrons, it reminded her vaguely of the shadowy scene she had barely absorbed last night before losing consciousness.

The memories of the night prior struck her once again, causing her to turn on her heel and in turn make the young man who had been following her jerk back.

"I need help."

He stared at her with something of a wince as though she were pointing out a painfully obvious fact.

"Please. My brother..." his face grew somber as she went on, her voice wavering as she did "...there was an accident. And..." Lucy grimaced when she went to run her hand through her messy hair. She tugged some hardened chunks of what had to be blood out of her long, matted hair. Water filled her eyes, her lips were beginning to tremble.

The young man watched her, "Ya' bleedin' again?" He asked, concern colouring his face.

"Uhh... no... I didn't even... kn-know I..." Lucy rambled, brown eyes widely searching the modest sunlit place, her fingers rubbing the tender spot on the back of her head. Pushing aside her muddled thoughts she focused her attention on the man standing before her. "Please. I had to leave him on the side of the road. I just need a car to get him to a doctor." She could see the dark eyed man reasoning internally. He seemed unsure of what to do. "Please." She plead again, moving towards him when she saw the uncertainty in his expression. "I can drive, I jus..."

"Don't think that's a good idea m'am..." with a sigh the lean man moved to the long counter bordering the right side of the station. Putting down the tray of broken white ceramic and wasted food he stated, "All due respect m'am, but you don't look in no kind o' condition to be drivin'..." he paused for a moment, before answering her questioning look "... you're as pale as a dam..." he caught himself before finishing the swear word. Coughing and shoving his hands anxiously in the pockets of his plain brown slacks, he carried on "... as pale as a sheet... an' you're shakin' somethin' fierce..." he added as though he didn't want to tell her that last particular detail about her appearance.

Finally taking a moment to look down at herself properly, Lucy saw how blue her veins looked under her blood drained skin, she also noticed how her fingers quivered when she tried to hold them straight. Her eyes moved to the tattered and muddied dress that was she wearing. Lucy could see the faded periwinkle blue of the simple cotton beneath the grime, though she was small it barely fit her frame anymore but it had been the first dress she'd actually been proud of and it always gave her some comfort to feel the familiar fabric. She had made it for her mother, it had made the older woman so happy on the day she had presented it to her.

Now, at this moment, it made Lucy want to cry. Clasping her hands together to keep them from shaking, Lucy's desperate brown eyes made their way back to meet the stranger's sympathetic consideration.

Letting out a breath that had caused his cheeks to puff out, he shook his head at his well worn shoes. "Forrest's gonna kill me..." she barely heard his voice, as he lifted his gaze and mumbled wearily. "Well, m'am suppose I'll be drivin' ya' then."

* * *

Lucy tried to swallow past the lump in her throat while resisting the urge to vomit as the rickety truck sped over the uneven roads of this Virginia backwater.

She was forcing herself to scan the trees for any sign of landmarks from the night before. She had bit her lip at the fork in the road. Before telling her new found driver to go down the path that they were currently on. She wracked her brain, silently praying that she hadn't wasted more time by leading them the wrong way.

Her heart leapt when saw Issac's T-Ford was still rammed against the tree just ahead on the muddy road.

'No one came...' her mind repeated it's mantra from last night. She wasn't sure if she was relieved or frightened by that fact anymore.

"S-stop," her voice was scratchy.

"But the car's righ..."

"He's not in the car."

Needing no more explanation the brown eyed man pulled over to the side of the road. Quick as a cat, Lucy jumped out as soon as they had come to a stop. She was having trouble remembering exactly where she had dragged Issac to, but she was certain by the shape of the low hanging branch above her that it had to have been here. She simply couldn't spot him.

"He was right here."

She heard the man step out of the car behind her as she gestured wildly and paced over the muddy ground.

"He in the bushes?" The man moved closer to the foliage from the side of the road.

"H-he..." Lucy's voice broke. "He's there." She pointed to a well concealed bit of underbrush at the base of a shallow incline, which she had neglected to recall.

The man followed the path she had pointed to, bending to push aside some sticks and leaves. Lucy held her breath, she heard her heart pounding in her ears.

Her arms squeezed around her centre.

After what seemed like a lifetime the young man finally called out, "He's here!" His arms started moving more frantically.

Lucy gasped in relief, "He's there." She breathed out to herself. She could feel her body become heavy with emotion, she gripped the hood of the man's truck, realizing for the first time that she had been slowly backing away from the scene by the bushes without knowing it. "Is he-" her voice cracked, she swallowed before trying again in a weak voice "... Is he alive?"

Her stomach throbbed as her hold on the car became as tight as she could make it. 'Oh Lord. Please. Not like... Christian and Michael and... no...' Her head felt as though it was swimming as she listened desperately for the man's answer.

"Yes!"

With that Lucy sank to the ground, so overcome by the weight of her relief that she could barely take it. She wanted to cry and sing at the same time, until the young man spoke again.

"But barely. We gotta get him to a doctor right quick, Miss." The man grunted as he was clearly trying to shift Issac's body. After a short struggle the man looked over his shoulder at the weary woman on the road and asked, "Could yah help? Can't move the car any closer, on account o' the mud and he's a hefty fella."

Biting her lip, Lucy forced herself to gather any strength she had left and hoisted herself up off the ground.

Shakily she walked towards the pair, her brown eyes unwilling to see the state her big brother was in. When they finally landed on his pale, broken form she wanted to collapse down to the dirt all over again.

"Come on now." The young dark haired man gripping Issac beneath arms heaved out a breathless exhale. Lucy could tell he wanted to curse. "How'd he get this far anyway?" The man gritted out.

Sniffing Lucy reached for her brother's feet. "I dragged him."

As she lifted Issac's legs as much as she could, Lucy could feel the young man's surprised stare on her. "Well I'll be god-damned."

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed it even though it was a little short.**

 **Please forgive the editing and let me know what you think so far.**

 **I'd really love to hear :)**


	3. Chapter 3: A-tisket A-tasket

**Hey! Thanks so much for the support :) I really appreciate it. Once again sorry about the editing. I'll keep trying to work on it.**

* * *

 **Chapter Three - A-tisket A-tasket**

"... A-tisket, a-tasket

I lost my yellow basket

Won't someone help me find my basket

And make me happy again, again?..."

\- Ella Fitzgerald

* * *

Lucy sat, waiting on a long bench in the corridor of the small hospital.

It may have been judgmental to think, but now more than ever, Lucy wished that they were back in the city with all of the newfangled medical gadgets and not in this dour backwater county.

The sound of tearing brought Lucy out of her worried haze. She looked up to her right to see the young man who had helped her, nervously trying to stick the edges of a frayed curtain he had just been fiddling with back together. Eventually he gave up and inconspicuously shoved his hands in his pockets and tried to walk away with his hands clean. He stopped though once he realized that Lucy had been watching him. He held her stare in an awkward silence.

After he had dropped them off at the hospital, Lucy had expected the man to return to his own affairs but he had found her after he had parked his truck and she had admitted Issac into Dr. Newton's care.

And now here he was. This stranger who was sharing a strange silence with her and waiting to hear the fate of her brother... her only brother, the only family she had left.

'That's not true...' Her arms wove around her middle once more.

Her stomach twisted. For once it felt empty, for once she didn't feel like throwing up... it should have been a good feeling, but it wasn't. She didn't want to be alone. She looked up at the man who, after all he had already done, had not abandoned her in her time of need.

It had been so quiet that his voice had shocked her a bit by breaking the silence when he finally spoke. "You know, never did get your name Miss..." he trailed off waiting for her to offer her name.

Blinking at the invitation to make polite conversation, Lucy took a moment to respond, clearing her throat before she did. "Luciana... Lucy Mills."

A genuine smile broke across his face as he held out his hand and walked towards her. "Well, pleased to make your acquaintance Miss. Lucy. I'm Jack Bondurant."

Lucy was able to muster up a twitch of her lips and a lackluster handshake, which considering how horrible she was feeling was quite an achievement.

"You ain't from around here are yah?"

"Baltimore."

"You and your brother visitin' family in these parts?"

'Family...' that word put a lump in Lucy's throat. Her eyes glazed over with water and her thoughts went to the room.

Clearly taking in her low demeanor, Jack went on talking in a soft way. "I reckon your brother'll be all right."

Lucy remained silent.

Jack seemed to sense his misstep as he fell mute as well.

After a spell of staring absently down the hall, Lucy looked up to the young man to ask in a broken whisper, "How can you be sure?"

A new spark lit in his dark eyes. Causing another young boy's face to flash through her mind.

'He looks so much like Christi...' Lucy forced herself to stop her train of thought, she wasn't sure would be able to handle anymore sadness.

Luckily Jack was still there and willing to distract her, "Honest Miss. Lucy." He went on, his excitement about the subject causing him to forgo propriety as he took a seat next to her on the bench, "I got a knack for knowin' these things, on account of... well on account of how us..." he waved his hand in front of his proud chest "... that is my brothers and me are death proof."

That last part of his statement got Lucy's attention, "Death proof?" She questioned turning in her seat to face him properly.

"Yes m'am. We survived damn..." he paused to cough over his cursing once more before going on "... most everything between us. Wars, sickness, slashings, bullets..."

Lucy wasn't sure what to say, her brown eyes simply widened at the list he gave her, which was contrary to the nonchalant way he was speaking.

Watching his beaming face she thought to herself, 'Not everyone makes it through...'

Clearly thinking he had reassured her, Jack gave her yet another encouraging smile.

Blinking away the new wetness in her eyes, Lucy smiled weakly at his childish countenance. "You're very lucky, not everyone is..." she was having a hard time containing tears, as memories of pale lifeless forms flood her mind.

"Miss. Mills." Lucy was jolted out of her thoughts by a kind voice above. She had been so distracted she hadn't noticed Dr. Newton approaching.

Standing up quickly Lucy spoke before she could help herself, "How is he? Is he awake? Is he... Is he..."

"Miss. Mills, I know it's difficult but I need you to calm down."

Lucy resisted the urge to wring the grey haired man by the neck, instead she made herself breathe slowly.

The doctor went to eyeing Jack, who he obviously recognized, before addressing Lucy once again. "Now, we can talk in private if you wish..."

"It's fine." Lucy blurted out quickly, "Please just tell me how my brother is."

With a small breath, Dr. Newton said calmly. "He's stable."

Lucy could feel herself practically lift off the ground with relief at that statement.

"But..." the doctor went on, Lucy felt herself crash back down. "His head sustained a significant injury. He's alive and his body is able to breathe, albeit poorly and he is not conscious."

Her hearing felt fuzzy.

"Not conscious." Lucy sounded out as though she were trying to figure out the meaning of the words she had just heard.

The kind eyed doctor gave her sympathetic look, "I'm afraid so. It's uncertain when or if he'll wake up."

"Wake up..." she whispered, Lucy could feel her heart sinking.

"He's in need of constant medical care and will have to stay here. The cost alone is quite a..."

Even though he was speaking clearly, she was having trouble understanding what he was saying.

All she could see was Issac's violin, sitting in a grey room with all of the the lights slowly burning out.

Cutting through the white noise Lucy spoke over the doctor. "I need to see him."

"I... of course." Dr. Newton gave her a sympathetic smile before leading her down the long echoing hallway. Lucy felt like a shaking leaf as he directed her through a door into a basically empty room. Empty except for one bed.

Lucy tried raising her eyes past the foot of the bed but she couldn't. Before she could even think she found herself running away from the room's doorway, back up the hall and to the hospital's exit as fast as she could.

Gasping for breath, she curled over and held her knees tight. The fresh air filled with the unfamiliar smell of pine needles was cool and relaxing against her face.

"Miss. Lucy?" Jack's gentle voice spoke from behind her.

"Oh god!" She groaned as everything that had happened came back to her.

She could hear the young man approach her. He awkwardly rested an uncertain yet reassuring hand against her back, "It'll work out Miss. Lucy. I promise."

Feeling a well of frustration and fear erupt, Lucy pulled herself away from Jack and all but shouted. "Will it? It's my fault he's even in there!"

She faced him, her eyes now spilling over with tears. "It's my fault," she pressed her accusing finger hard against her chest, "... if I hadn't distracted him, if I'd just cooperated, if I hadn't been stupid enough to..." she looked down, realizing that she had moved to pointing her stomach. "Do you understand? It's all my fault!" Her hands moved up to cover her face.

She cried for what felt like hours, but was probably minutes of berating herself.

And even over her raging thoughts, she could hear his soft voice speak. "I do."

It was a small phrase, so bare and honest that was enough to drag her out of the whirlwind of emotions inside her.

Lucy lowered her hands to see the young dark-eyed man's serious face.

Unsure of how to respond, to the intensity behind his words, Lucy mumbled, "I have nothing." She felt that horrible emptiness in her stomach again, "I can't afford... I have nothing to keep him here with."

"I think I can help on that account, Miss. Lucy."

Lucy couldn't help but eye him with some suspicion, which he immediately seemed to recognize. "Ain't nothin' untoward M'am. Just cooking, servin' and dealin' with the folk that come by the Station. "

"But you don't know if I can cook or if I'm a hard worker."

"Well, from what I've seen you could run just about any other worker in these parts off their feet." He gave her a good natured chuckle before going on, "And it'd truly be a help to us to have a someone around."

Looking at him carefully, Lucy contemplated how to reply to his generous offer. "That's sweet Mr. Bondurant but you don't know..." her lungs seized and she gasped slightly, her hand automatically travelling to her stomach, "... you don't know all of the circumstances. I'm..." air seemed difficult to get into her lungs as she spoke "... I'm in a delicate condition."

"Oh..." The look on his face had changed. But wasn't that same look she gotten used to seeing on the doctor's face, then on Issac's and Robert's when she finally told them.

She could tell that this young dark haired man was doing some sort of math in his head."You don't look none too delicate to me, Miss Lucy." He said, giving her an easy shrug and a kind-hearted smile "... 'Sides a woman in your condition'll suit the motherless dogs out here well, even though I reckon you won't be here all that long any way." He added clearly trying to comfort her about the duration of her brother's state.

Despite her situation Lucy couldn't help but feel somewhat lighter when he said it. He was only being kind, but Lucy needed that more than anything else in this moment.

She needed some to lie and say that everything would be ok and so, despite herself, Lucy found herself nodding, "All right."

Jack's smiled widened, he reassuringly reached out to squeeze her arm. "All right. Let's go ask Forrest."

That had been the second time he had mentioned that name but it was the first time Lucy had actually processed it. "Forrest?"

"My older brother, he runs the Station." Lucy felt a pang of concern about the prospect he had only just offered her. Jack must have seen it because he carried on hurriedly, "But don't worry Miss. Lucy, bet he'll say yes."

* * *

They had stopped off at car wreck to pick the few items she and Issac had brought along on their trip. It was getting late and night was nearing so Jack had offered to come back and tow the T-Ford to the Station with his brothers tomorrow.

After going through the pockets and giving any money she could find over to the hospital, in a show of good faith, Lucy had put Issac's heavy coat over her shoulders.

The money for... everything. For the reason they even been travelling South was gone. Lucy shifted under the weight of the jacket, her arms were clutching Issac's violin to her chest. The worn case felt comforting against her pale fingers.

"Miss. Lucy?"

The blonde woman was startled by the loud voice next to her. "Sorry." She blinked at the young man driving, "Were you saying something Mr. Bondurant?"

"It's Jack, Miss. Lucy. I'm only 21 and your makin' me feel like some ol' man."

Lucy wasn't exactly surprised by the information he gave her, the way he dressed and spoke it was obvious that he had to be somewhere near her age. "Well then I insist you stop calling me Miss. Lucy. I'm only a year older than you."

"Sorry Miss. Lucy I was taught to respect my elders and the like." He said with a light teasing smile.

Lucy let herself enjoy that small moment, before clearing her head and apologetically asking him to repeat what he had been saying earlier.

"I wasn' sayin' much. Just rattlin' on about my brothers and me." He said, "Suppose I do tend to go on."

Forcing a smile that she had actually wanted to be genuine Lucy stated, "No. I want to hear."

"Really?"

"Really," Lucy said, finding it less difficult to smile the more she spoke to him.

"Well then..." Jack grinned pulling into the Station. "For- For..." the grin slipped off of his face and his skin blanched as he came to a stop in front of the Station.

Getting out of the car he walked out and opened the passenger side for Lucy, the entire time his dark eyes stuck to the open door of the Station house.

Once a very confused Lucy had stepped out of the car she asked in soft whisper. "Has someone broken in again?"

Jack began to shake his head, but before he could say anything a new voice called from the left side of the front porch, "Woohoo!" it was coming from a man so covered in grime, it was no wonder why Lucy had missed seeing him laying there with his arm resting over his forehead. "Jackie boy, you're in for it. Best get your scrawny white ass in there boy."

"Shut up, Howard." Jack spat at the man resting on the deck.

The dirt covered man only sniggered in response.

"Get in here Jack." A low gravelly voice spoke from beyond the Station's open door, it was quiet but still each word carried enough weight to make a thudding impact low in Lucy's gut.

The man inside the Station spoke again, "Need to repeat myself, Jack?"

The young man quickly made his way up the steps and inside, though he made sure to hover near the door.

"Forrest, this is Lucy," Jack pointed towards her, though he was blocking any view of her by standing in the doorway "... she's that girl from yesterday."

"So, you the little thing that broke the window?" Raising his arm to open one eye the man named Howard stared out at the rapidly paling woman quivering by the parked truck. An amused smile playing across his face.

Lucy felt numb, her hold on her brother's violin case tightened, luckily Jack spoke up again to take back focus.

"Her brother and her were in a wreck a ways back and..."

There was a grunting noise.

"Awww, come on Forrest. Couldn't leave her brother out there... plus, she's agreed to help around the Station. Figured since Mag..." the dark haired man suddenly lost his place, nervously rubbing his hand over the back of his neck before speaking up again "...um, since we're stretched pretty thin here she could help is all."

There was the sound of more grumbling and a chair being scraped back.

Jack cast a smiling glance back her way, with a well meaning half smile. "Just for a spell though 'cause I reckon he'll be out of the hospital soon."

Lucy couldn't find it in herself to smile back, she was lost in thought. 'What would my life be without him?' Her brother's face floated before her eyes.

"All right then." The light haired woman was jerked out of her thoughts by the deep voice coming from inside. Jack's brother made no move to come towards the door, instead Lucy could hear the sound of creaking floorboards followed by a door slamming shut somewhere inside the Station.

Jack's grin looked about ready to crack off his face as he whooped, "Didn' I tell yah Miss. Lucy?"

"He doesn't want to meet me?"

"Nah. Forrest ain't like that, especially since..." he trailed off as he moved to get her bags out of the car, "He just ain't like that."

Lucy watched as Jack unloaded her's and Issac's things. "Am I staying here?" The dark eyed man nodded distractedly. "But..."

"Ain't no cause for worry Miss. Lucy. Hardly a time that one of us Bondurants ain't hereabouts."

Though had meant it as reassurance, Lucy couldn't figure out how to quite take his statement.

'I suppose beggars can't be choosers.'

However that thought was difficult for her to remember as her brown eyes drifted from the man clearly hungover and laying on the porch, to the young man who practically still a boy standing next to her and finally to the dim light glowing in dark just past the Station doorway.

* * *

 **Hope you all enjoy this. Please let me know what you. Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon.**


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